TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
Nashville is still more than a year away from entering MLS but that didn’t stop them from taking a first step to build their roster.
On Tuesday, Nashville’s MLS team announced the signing of forward Daniel Rios, from Liga MX power Chivas de Guadalajara.
“Signing Daniel as our first MLS player shows our commitment to put a talented, diverse and exciting team on the field from day one of this franchise,” Nashville MLS CEO Ian Ayre said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming him to the club and to seeing him play his part in our Major League Soccer.”
A 23-year-old Mexican striker, Rios has been with Chivas since 2015 but has spent most of that time on loan, including a stint this past year with the USL’s North Carolina FC, where he had 20 goals in 31 appearances and was named to USL's All-League first team.
Rios also has national team experience at the youth levels for Mexico, playing in 48 games for the U-18, U-20 and U-21 squads. He started for the U-20 Mexico team that won the 2016 MLS Homegrown Game.
“Daniel is the first of many players we will bring to the MLS roster,” Nashville MLS GM Mike Jacobs said. “He has real potential, and we are looking forward to continuing his development over the next 12 months ahead of our entry into Major League Soccer. He is exactly the type of young, exciting talent we have in mind, scoring 20 goals with North Carolina FC and a successful career as a Mexican youth international.”
Nashville was awarded an MLS expansion team in December of 2017 and last month hired Jacobs as its first GM.
Until Nashville joins MLS in 2020, Rios will be loaned to Nashville SC of the USL Championship.
